


baby, did you forget to take your meds?

by elizabethdolly



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Bond Suppressants, M/M, Soulmate/Friends, bond withdrawal, jo is a brat, soulmate AU where being away from your soulmate makes you sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 16:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10283489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabethdolly/pseuds/elizabethdolly
Summary: Jo misses Nate and isn't above being a brat to get to see him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Meds" by Placebo.

Nate is panicking, to say the least.

He can't even focus on the happiness from them finally winning a game, for the first time in what feels like a long time. His phone is blowing up with texts asking if Jo is okay and what happened and uh, Nate would very much like to know the same thing.

He hasn't felt anything from their bond since the season started because of the suppressants, but a quick search on Twitter tells him that Jo collapsed during the game and was being checked out for bond withdrawal symptoms.

He and Jo _always_ take their suppressants, so Nate can't help but worry that something else happened, but it sounds like there wasn't even a check. He was just skating along heading towards goal, until he suddenly wasn't.

\--

Instead of going back to the hotel and flying out with the team the next morning, Nate is on a red eye to Tampa because it's looking like bond withdrawal and what the fuck Jo.

Stammer sends him a picture of Heddy carrying Jo bridal style and the way Jo is still and lax and kind of melting in his arms would worry Nate more if it wasn't accompanied by Stammer saying _"hurry up, your princess needs his prince to save him."_

Nate had sat through the classes on soulmates and bond withdrawal and suppressants and every other lecture you had to go through before playing in the NHL. The further you are away from your soulmate, the sicker they'll get, but as long as you take the meds on time, it won't be an issue.

Nate wasn't sure if they stressed this just to avoid the chance of it, or if there was a window between stopping the medication and feeling its effects. Either way, they hammered it home so that by the time Nate's plane lands, he's pretty sure Jo did this on purpose.

Just to torture himself more, while the plane is getting to the gate, he watches the video before the accident. Jo is speeding along, dodging and deking and looking like he's got a fairly decent chance on goal, but he just collapses past the blue line, drops and starts writhing on the ice. 

After a few long seconds, his body goes limp and medics are already rushing around him. He's sweating and his body looks flush in spite of him being sprawled out on the ice. Nate is sure that Jo is doing better by now, but it doesn't make it any less scary to see him out cold like that.

He shakes the thought and calls Stammer to find out where Jo is.

\--

He's in the hospital for monitoring, but Stammer insists that he was awake a little while ago and was asking for Nate, so it can't be too bad. Also, if it's really bond withdrawal, now that Nate is in the same state and city as Jo, he should be feeling fine.

"The nurses said he should wake up soon. They say it takes a lot out of you, so he's probably just really tired."

"He didn't hit his head or anything when he fell, did he?"

Nate watched the video and it looked like a weird fall, so he can't be too cautious.

"They said he kind of slid into it, so it wasn't just the full impact at once."

Stammer kind of smiles at that, but before he can say anything else, Jo decides to make his now-awake presence known.

"You're here!" He grins, all smug.

"Are you okay? What happened?" 

Nate didn't fly across the states just for Jo to beam at him, although it's not the worst thing.

Stammer steps out and Nate sits on the edge of Jo's bed.

"Well, I was fine one minute and the next I passed out." He shrugs and has that mischievous look where Nate knows he's not telling him everything.

"So, do they need to change the dosage for your suppressants? I haven't had any issues with mine." 

Jo's smirk turns more sheepish.

"I didn't take them."

"What?"

"I didn't take them. We've got months before we play each other and I really missed you and I just figured if it's bond issues, they'd fly you out and I'd get to see you."

Nate is torn between affection and frustration, but the frustration is definitely winning out as an immediate response.

"You can't just not take your meds and have me fly out any time you're feeling lonely! I play almost all of the season without seeing you and yeah, it fucking sucks, but we knew that when we signed up for this."

Jo starts to protest, but Nate gets up and walks out.

"I can't do this now Jo. I'll be back later."

\--

Nate ends up going to the cafeteria when his stomach reminds him that he just had some crackers on the flight. The soup and half sandwich aren't bad, honestly. He grabs a coffee for good measure because he can already tell this is going to be a trying day.

He checks his phone and there's a few messages from teammates, saying they hope Jo is okay and Nate can fly back soon. Tyson says as much, but adds that he hopes the flight was good. He texts back a thumbs up and a smiley face.

He sets his phone down and turns back to his soup before it buzzes again.

_"The doctors think I'm fine to leave now that you're here. Are you going to take me home or are you still mad at me?"_

_"Still a little mad, but coming back to your room."_

Jo is sitting on his bed when Nate walks in.

"I signed the paper work, so we should be good to go?"

"Okay, we're gonna talk about this though."

Jo nods and squeezes Nate's hand.

\--

"I just missed you and I was so sick of it. We never had to take the meds when we were in Hali."

"We were together then. We were never apart so we didn't need to."

"I miss you in my head though. I hate that I can't hear you and it's just silence. A text isn't the same and I was so lonely Nate,"

Nate reaches over the couch and pulls Jo into a tight hug. He runs his hands up Jo's back, like he know he likes. Jo has a point; things were really different when they were together most of the day. Even when they were apart, it was kilometers and not states and states.

And the emptiness in his head is something he's never brought up with Jo, but it is really weird. They used to be able to ping thoughts to one another, bursts of energy for excitement and clouds for sadness. Everything just appeared and they knew.

Now, Nate practically counts down the days until summer when he can have Jo in his arms and in his head again. The delay it turns out is only a few hours. Nate knows when it's faded away because all he hears, can see, can think is bright.

"Can you hear me now? Or it's blocked cause I'm on my meds?"

Jo pulls back to look at Nate.

"It's just static."

Nate pulls him close again and kisses his head.

"Let's go to bed. I'm gonna have to fly out in the morning."

"No." Jo whines. 

Nate gets up, pulling a pouty Jo with him. He lets Jo lead the way, stopping every now and then to kiss him. Jo being stubborn and defiant already brought him here, so he might as well enjoy it.

In bed, Jo clings to him, as if he can will himself back into Nate's head. He wraps his legs around Nate and covers him with his body. For tonight, they just kiss and kiss and hold each other; it's enough because it has to be.

Jo falls asleep with Nate curled around him. Nate does this soft little whining snore and Jo taught himself to sleep without it during the season, but after having it now, it's going to be hard to go back to the silence.

\--

Jo wakes up to a cold bed and a bright buzzing in his head.

_"You didn't take your pill?"_

_"I'm going to take it when I leave. It kicks in pretty fast. Also I've got breakfast going, so come to the kitchen."_

Jo walks in beaming. 

_"I just hoped to get you down here. I didn't think I'd get to hear you like this."_

_"Promise me next time you miss me, you'll try to find a free weekend or something. Don't be stupid about it."_

Jo just sends surges of warm affection to Nate, who responds in kind with his own waves of sugar sweet love.

They eat and just send different sensations to one another until they both have to take their suppressants and see Nate off.

They're going to be all right.


End file.
